The Wolf of the Forest
by Noxlux013
Summary: Well, somehow I ended up in the Naruto Universe. Guess I should start on my plans to abuse Shadow Clones on the way to becoming Hokage—what do you mean I'm not Naruto? At least I've got this nifty ability to make up for it, but will it be enough of an edge to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the other monsters here? INDEFINITE HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

' _Why do I smell dog?'_

I sat up in a bed‒and not my rickety dorm room bed. A dog, a puppy really, was sleeping on top of the blankets at the foot of the bed. It, he, looked like some sort of sheep dog, but I wasn't positive. Looking around I saw what looked like a decent sized hospital room, and was occupied by one other person–a brown haired girl probably in her lower twenties if I had to guess. She shifted in the chair that had been pulled up to the side of my bed, obviously asleep.

' _She seemed oddly familiar, but I'm positive I'd remember someone wearing a flak jacket and...red facial markings…_ '

A ball of iron formed in my gut. Sliding out of bed, I hissed as my bare feet hit the cold wood floor. Staggering over to the window, I threw it open to beheld a bustling, lively town spread out below. Dragging my eyes from the bustling townspeople, they rested briefly on a trio of figures hopping from roof to roof with an ease that would make any parkour enthusiast green with envy, before finally stopping on the mountain overshadowing it all. I had never visited Mount Rushmore‒most family vacations involved visiting distant relatives, Disney World, or both‒but I had a feeling that the impression was similar, even if the faces etched into the stone were different. The world blurred out of focus.

' _What am I doing on the floor'_ I wondered.

"Kiba!" The girl must have been woken up by the sound of my legs collapsing out from under me. How embarrassing. Hands grabbed me by my armpits, trying to lift me back to my feet. Something wet was touching my face.

' _What did she call me?'_

"Akamaru! Quit it! I need to get him back to bed! Stubborn idiot, trying to move in your condition!"

Now that she mentioned it, I noticed I was clad only in a loose pair of pants. My ribs were bound, my left arm was wrapped from shoulder to elbow, and what felt like a gauze pad was taped to my right temple. I could feel a dozen miscellaneous aches and pains scattered across the rest of my body.

' _How did I not notice all of this? Oh yeah, mindless daze.'_

Settled back onto the bed, the girl seemed to be doing something. Her hands glowed a calming green while her face scrunched up in concentration.

"Whew, that's way easier with dogs."

"Did you just use a technique meant for dogs on me?" I croaked out incredulously.

"Meh, you're both mammals."

' _Damn, that's one heck of a bedside manner.'_ Changing tracks I asked, "What happened? Where am I?"

"I was hoping you could answer that. Your room looks like a tornado full of explosive tags went through it. We found you and Akamaru buried in the rubble."

I looked closer at the little dog. It was harder to tell with his white fur, but various portions of his torso were also bandaged and he seemed to be favoring his right forepaw. In all honesty, it was a miracle neither of us was in a body cast if the damage was that serious.

"We checked you into Konoha General Hospital two days ago. Just what happened? There's no way you could have screwed up anything so badly as what happened."

"What? Konoha? I‒hold on." I pinched my nose, absently noting with a start that I wasn't wearing glasses, something that had been a constant in my life for nearly the past decade.

' _I'm Kiba? I'm in the world of Naruto? How? Why? What should I do? I have a basic idea of how the series goes, but I'm practically, no scratch that I_ am _a side character! Unless I get a power up of some sort there's no way I'll be able to change anything.'_

A wave of dizziness swept through me causing the girl to hold me steady.

"Careful, you're healing well, but you still have cracked ribs, burns on your arm, various lacerations all over, and something heavy gave you a nasty welt on your head."

A thousand tiny rodents began nibbling away at the edge of my vision.

"That sounds nice, but I think I'm going to pass out now," I told her.

"Wait, what! No, don't‒"

Darkness.

But not unconsciousness. In fact, I had suddenly transitioned from sitting in bed to standing in a formless, black void, and in my actual body too, now that I looked myself over. Luckily, I was clothed. That could have been awkward, especially since I could see I wasn't alone. A figure stood in the distance and, with no other landmarks, I headed towards it. I studied the figure as I approached. He was walking toward me, dressed in tan pants and what seemed to be a parka, tufts of fur lining the end of the sleeves and edge of the hood.

"So, any idea what's going on?" Straight and to the point.

"I was hoping you knew," I replied, "but I have a few theories."

"Anything worth mentioning?"

"Well, somehow I ended up here, what I thought of as‒until five minutes ago‒a fictional world. I'm going to say this proves the multiverse exists in some form. As to why I'm stuck in _your_ body in particular...I don't know. Maybe we are analogues of some sort? Maybe it's by chance? Who knows. I'm more concerned about what to do going forward."

"Hmm…" Kiba, since it was obviously him, scratched one of his facial markings absently. "Don't suppose you got a way to give me my body back, do ya?"

"Well…" I wracked my brain for anything like this happening in canon, what relatively little I knew. Yamanaka techniques were out, I didn't know if I could return to my own body, and I'd rather not become a disembodied spirit. Or for either of us to end up in an "Inner Sakura" situation. Maybe, wasn't there something about fist bumps? Pretty sure that was a Jinchuriki thing, but it's not like I have any other ideas.

"Let's try this," I said, hold out my fist. Catching on, Kiba held his own hand out and we bumped fists.

Contact.

Every have a part of your body fall asleep? That pins and needles sensation? Take that sensation, and apply it to your whole body. And I _do_ mean whole body. I had never known what it would feel like if my eyeballs fell asleep, and now that I did, I wish I didn't. Then it got worse. The pins and needles sensation faded, only to be replaced with what felt like Icy Hot filling my veins. It felt like I hit my funny bone. On every joint. Any lingering doubts that this was some dream or hallucination were wiped away. There was no way I could imagine this.

More importantly than that was the rush of memories.

 _Six years old. Rambunctious, easily riled by the other children of the clan, I quickly earned a reputation for being hot headed, something that exasperated Mom and amused Kuromaru._

 _Eight years old. Entering the Academy, ready to take on all challenges, ready to defend Konoha like the Inuzuka before me. And become a badass ninja._

 _Ten years old. A gathering of friends skipping class. Shino's dry wit, Choji's laid back attitude, Shikamaru's lazy observations, even Naruto's enthusiasm; these are the comrades I trust to have my back. And I have theirs._

 _Twelve years old. Wrestling with Akamaru, trying to take back a textbook he had in his mouth. A strange rumble, as if the air itself was falling apart. Blinding light, grab Akamaru, curl up for protection. Pain, pain, pain‒_

* * *

I awoke, again. I recognized where I was now, Konoha General Hospital. No one was in the room at the moment, though whether that was because they had just stepped out or hadn't thought I would be awake yet, I didn't know. Akamaru was curled up in my lap, and I absently began to pet him as my mind wandered, trying to reconcile close to thirty years of memories. No, wait, that makes me sound older than I really am. I was trying to accept that I now had two childhoods. One, where I was the oldest in a large family, where I loved nothing more than to read and build things with my own two hands. The other, where I was the younger child, with the goal of being a Ninja and a reputation for being more athletic than intelligent. Definitely something to change.

' _So now what? I have a pretty good idea of what's going to happen up until Sasuke defects, limited knowledge of a couple anime-only arcs, a vague idea of what happens in some of the movies, and little to no idea on how the series actually ended at all, though apparently well enough that Naruto has kids down the line since the show Boruto is a thing. Now how do I actually use this info without getting kidnapped and interrogated in some secret lair?'_

I needed to convince the Sandaime. If the Hokage believes and vouches for me, things become infinitely easier. It wouldn't be too difficult to convince him either, I just had to reveal something that no one should be able to know, preferably something that would also prove that I'm not some imposter that has killed the real Kiba Inuzuka and taken his place.

' _Still, some things I'll have to do myself. And again, I'm a side character. I don't have the Sharingan, thank God. I don't have a sentient mass of chakra sealed in my gut. My chances of getting a Kage level shinobi to take me on as their apprentice are depressingly low. I don't have a bloodline limit. I'm just a dude with a puppy. And while Akamaru is a great chick magnet, he isn't that great in combat at this point. I need something to give me an edge, to let me keep up with people like Sasuke or Naruto.'_

Of course, that's when I noticed Akamaru had been sitting on something this whole time. Nudging Akamaru aside I saw that it was…a book. A bit of an oddity when scrolls are so common. Bound with brown leather, with a single, gold, four-point shuriken embossed on the front cover, it was unlike anything I've seen before, in either life. Opening the book revealed nothing but blank pages at first. Then, words began to appear as if written by an invisible hand.

 **Soul Facet Synergization Initiated.**

 **Please Stand by**

 **.**

 **Life Experience Compiled**

 **.**

 **Skill Levels Quantified**

 **.**

 **Soul Facet Synergization Complete.**

This stayed on the page for a few seconds before it was replaced by more text.

 **Character Sheet generation complete.**

 **Would you like to view Character Sheet?**

 **Yes | No**

Hesitantly, I hit "Yes".

' _This seems a bit like that Gamer comic I read, but that had a holograph type of interface. Is this similar? And what does "Soul Facet Synergization" mean?'_

 **Kiba Inuzuka**

 **Rank: Academy Student**

 **Health: 7/7**

 **Psyche: 7/7**

 **Yang Chakra: 2/2**

 **Yin Chakra: 2/2**

 **Skills:**

 **Athletics 1**

 **Crafts 2**

 **Deception 1**

 **Discipline 2**

 **Empathy 2**

 **Fighting 2**

 **Fortitude 1**

 **Holistics 0**

 **Intimidation 1**

 **Intuition 3**

 **Knowledge 3**

 **Marksman 2**

 **Might 1**

 **Perception 1**

 **Perform 1**

 **Persuade 2**

 **Speed 1**

 **Stealth 2**

 **Survival 1**

 **Travel 2**

From using the handy tool tips, I learned that each skill ranged from 0 (Clueless) to 5 (Master). I also had quite a few Specialities, which were situational buffs to a certain skill. I had a +1 to Stealth and Survival while in a forest, a very nice home field advantage that probably came from at least part of me spending my whole life surrounded by trees, a +1 to Crafts when working with metallic materials, and a +1 to Knowledge when trying to remember details about the setting of Naruto.

Interestingly, Chakra was divided into Yin and Yang, while Health has to do with physical damage and Psyche has to do with mental damage. Some jutsu required Yin and some required Yang. What really caught my attention was the fact that performing jutsu _didn't_ consume chakra unless it was to prevent a backfire, what happens when a jutsu was performed improperly.

When I turned the page, I found that the next two pages were dedicated to Fighting Styles and Jutsu Styles respectively. Both of which were blank.

"Hey, what gives? I know multiple jutsu, and I've spent years getting my ass whooped learning taijutsu from Kaa-san!"

 **Jutsu and Fighting Styles have been reset as a result of Soul Synergization. As a result, 10 points have been granted. Jutsu are divided into Basic, Medium, and Advanced, and cost 1, 2, and 3 points respectively. At least one jutsu you learn must come from your clan's preferred jutsu style, the Way of Twin Beasts. Each Fighting Style consists of three aspects. Each aspect has three levels. You have been granted 4 Martial Training levels.**

The message promptly disappeared and was replaced by a list of dozens of fighting styles and jutsu. My mouth began to water as I looked over the possibilities. It looked like this system, whatever it was, went off the Chinese elemental circle. Meaning that instead of Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, and Wind, there was Fire, Water, Earth, Wood, and Metal. Being able to coat myself in metal, or emulate Magneto were possible in the Way of Metal. The Way of Wood had a few interesting choices, including one that essentially allowed me to replicate the Hiraishin but with trees instead of marked kunai. And if I didn't want the knock off version, the Way of Movement had the actual Hiraishin. It also had an honest-to-God Flight jutsu that I was going to get as soon as possible. And that's not even getting into what looked like rip-offs of Clan specific techniques like the Kaiten. I shook myself.

' _Now is not the time to be drooling over jutsu. I have to prioritize what fits the skills I have right now. And won't get me strapped to a dissection table.'_

First things first though, an Inuzuka Clan jutsu. As cool as they were, most of the jutsu simply weren't a good fit for me anymore. I eventually settled on a basic jutsu called **In the High Grass** that allowed be to blend into my surroundings and increased my stealth.

At first, I almost picked up a bunch of basic jutsu like _**Tree Hopping**_ , _**Surface Running**_ , _**Water Walking**_ , and _**Air's Embrace**_ for one point apiece. The first three did exactly what they sound like. Air's Embrace negated all fall damage, meaning I could jump out the window right now and still be fine when I hit the ground. Unless I failed to perform the jutsu. Or Kaa-san or Hana-nee found out. Then I was screwed. However, I could learn the first three on my own time pretty easily, so I only grabbed the last one. I decided to grab **Float** as well, which had **Air's Embrace** as a prerequisite.

With seven points left, I began to look through the various jutsu groups, referred to as Ways. Both **Air's Embrace** and **Float** had come from the Way of Movement. I planned on getting **Upwards** down the road, which had **Float** as a prerequisite. If I grabbed it now, I wouldn't be able to perform the jutsu properly with any sort of dependency. I bypassed Way of Great Serpents altogether, but made a note to see if I could teach others some of these, or at least get a copy of the instructions. There was one that allowed you to assume the form of a Naga that would be perfect if I ever had to bribe Anko Mitarashi, and I'd love to see Orochimaru's reaction to it too. Well, from a safe distance. Stopping at the Way of Metal, I grabbed **Metal Within** , which allowed me to integrate metal into my body, giving me access to concealed weapons no one would ever find unless they cut me open. I also grabbed **Mold Metal** and **Sharpen Blade** , which let me mold Metal like clay and gave me a bonus to using a blade. Deciding to only grab jutsu from one more Way so I didn't spread myself to thin, I settled on Way of the Warrior, grabbing the basic jutsu **Summon Weapon** , which was self-explanatory and the median jutsu **Cannon Punch** , which sounded similar to Tsunade's super strength.

Jutsu out of the way, I started to look into the fighting styles. It looked like both hand to hand and weapon styles were included, which was interesting, but simply meant I had more options and only four levels to spend. It also meant that I had a harder choice, as there wasn't a specific Inuzuka clan fighting style to choose as an option. I had chosen rather specific jutsu, building myself toward some sort of a swordsman, so I would need a fighting style to match. I decided that the first level of the _**To Run Free**_ aspect of the Horse Style, giving me +4 Movement per level, would really help. The other fighting style that jumped out at me was, ironically, the Wildcat style, which had an aspect that boosted my fighting abilities if attacking first, called **Pounce**. Deciding that these two would be a solid base for the hard hitting, fast moving role I was aiming for, I moved on to the weapon styles and what was referred to as the 99 Styles.

The 99 Styles were basically anything that wasn't direct fighting. Things like Traps, Summoning contracts, and poison making. Trap making could be useful, and being able to make explosive traps was tempting, but it wasn't useful if I was strapped for time. Alchemy was interesting, dealing with healing potions, mind affecting potions, even dream affecting potions, But I figured Ino and Hinata could handle that side of things for our class with a little prodding. The next section, Master of Spies, was locked. Apparently I had to develop contacts and the like before I could send out thieves or assassin squads. Portents was mostly pointless due to the fact that I had outside knowledge already, but the more mundane bits like finding hidden doors and being immune to ambush could be extremely useful. Something to look at later. Summoning, like Master of Spies, was also locked until I had a Summoning Scroll to sign. I decided to just move on to the weapon styles.

Blunt was passed over, though the idea of a Kanabo in the hands of someone like Choji was a terrifying prospect. Well, terrifying for his enemies, downgraded to "not fun" for any friends sparring against him. Chain weapons were likewise dismissed, but I made a note to see if Shika could use something like a bladed whip or kusarigama to extend the reach of his shadows. Ranged would be a constant drain on my resources, having to gather expended ammunition and replace any that had broken, whether I used shuriken, kunai, or arrows. That narrowed things down to Paired or Sharp. Paired had three aspects, one for offense, one for defense, and one that was a balance of the two. However, it required weapons with the Paired quality, which carried a penalty if you used only one weapon. Obviously, I'd rather not be penalized if I lost one of my weapons in combat; being down a weapon in a fight was bad enough without extra penalties piling up. That only left Sharp, which was pretty decent, really. Its aspects were _**Armor of Blades**_ , _**Blade Storm**_ , and _**Splitting Arrows**_ , which inflicted a penalty on melee attacks made against me, gave me a blinding pocket sand effect, and allowed me to cut projectiles out of the air. And those were just the first level for each aspect.

' _I think we found a winner.'_

I grabbed level one of the **Armor of Blades** and **Splitting Arrows** aspects to cover close and ranged defense, using up the remaining levels I had.

 **Character Creation Finalized.**

 **This Tome will act as Character Sheet, Bingo Book, Inventory, and World Map.**

I tapped the small stylized arrow in the corner to continue and the page was wiped clean before more text began to appear.

 **The Character Sheet is where you may spend XP to increase Skill ranks, and learn new Jutsu or Fighting Styles. These actions may be done naturally through training without spending XP, but doing so can take weeks or even months to accomplish. XP is earned by completing missions and through more abstract methods such as character growth.**

I nodded to myself. So I could go the quick way and spend XP to instantaneously improve, or I could go the normal route and have a more believable growth rate. There were pros and cons to both options. I tapped the arrow again.

 **The Bingo Book will automatically record information on enemies you fight. Additionally, smearing some blood on an empty page will create an entry that is accurate as of the time the blood was drawn.**

That...was really broken. A few drops of blood and I would know their exact stats and techniques? Most would give away village secrets for that sort of information gathering ability. Others would think it a scam of some sort. The rest would try to outright steal it. Suck on it Kabuto! Your Ninfo Cards are officially obsolete.

 **The Inventory acts as a multi use sealing scroll, allowing you to carry a large variety of objects and equipment. There are 144 slots which can each contain up to 99 of a single item.**

Okay, not the best Inventory I've ever seen, but decent nonetheless. At least there wasn't a weight limit. Means I won't be able to shuffle equipment around mid-battle without pulling the book out, but at least I'll have plenty of space for after battle looting. And I can always keep the important stuff on my person.

 **The World Map shows the geological landscape. Important landmarks and Points of Interest will be added within a certain distance of the user. Other maps may be assimilated for knowledge of an area.**

And a pretty basic World Map, albeit one that didn't require me to travel the length and breadth of the entire continent. Convenient. At the moment it didn't show much more than country borders, major roads, and capitals, though the Konohagakure town map had a bit more detail. With that final bit of information, the book went inert, allowing me to freely leaf through the mostly empty pages.

"Well, looks like I might be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Naruto and Sasuke, protagonist level bullshit and all. Now where the hell are my clothes?"

A quick search found a simple T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants in one of the drawers, and moments later I was bidding that ridiculous open back smock goodbye.

"Now how do I explain all this to Mom without her flipping out? More importantly, how do I convince the Hokage?"

"Explain what to us? Why your miraculous recovery when the doctors assured me you'd be out of commission for at least a month?"

I jumped, almost hitting my head on the ceiling.

' _Gotta get used to being essentially a superhuman.'_

Turning around I saw that Mom and the Hokage himself had entered the room unnoticed, most likely a combination of their skill and my lack of it.

"Mom! Hokage, sir. Uh, yeah, I have a good reason for that."

"What, you spontaneously awakened a bloodline?" Mom jokes. She paused, seeing that I had actually paused to think it over.

"You're kidding."

"Well, I don't think you can call it a bloodline, per se, I'm pretty sure it's not genetic. But I do have an ability that will probably put me in the top ten ninjas ever produced by Konoha. As to how it happened, well, remember what put me in this mess in the first place?"

"Your room suddenly exploding around you? That was on purpose?" I headed her off before she could pick up steam. The memories of previous encounters with Mom's temper were enough, thank you very much!

"No! No, that was involuntary. How familiar are you with the Multiverse Theory?"

The Hokage, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "I am familiar with the theory, yes, I came across it when I was attempting to learn more about the Summoning Realm after a mishap with one of my students."

"Ah, good. That simplifies things. From what I can tell, an alternate version of myself somehow got shot across the multiverse and collided with me. That collision is probably what caused the explosion. We ended up sharing a body for a little bit, two conscious minds in one body, before merging. I'm still me," I was quick to reassure them before they could speak, "I just have another lifetime of memories. I'm not exactly enthusiastic to go through puberty a second time."

"I see," the Hokage paused to gather his thoughts. "And this ability that you believe is on par with a bloodline?"

"I'm not sure what to make of it. It reminds me of some old pen-and-paper role playing games, but it's not one I recognize. It's quantified my abilities into a character sheet and can apparently do something similar for others if I smear some of their blood on an empty page. It also let me choose a sort of starting pool of jutsu and fighting styles, and claims that I can earn experience as I advance my career as a ninja; experience I can use as a sort of currency to instantaneously learn new techniques, though I can still learn conventionally."

"Hm, may I?" the Hokage held out a hand for the book. Opening the tome to my character sheet, I did so.

"Fascinating. It divides chakra into its separate components? And tracks mental health separate from physical health. Hmm, how high can a skill reach?"

"Five, I think, though that could possibly be six in certain situations depending on specialties."

"You have a decent foundation then, though you may want to do something about that holistics skill. Even the basics can save lives."

"I'll keep that in mind sir."

"Good, now, do you mind if I take a look at these jutsu you selected?"

"Not at all."

The elderly man attempted to turn the page, but it was like the book had suddenly become a solid piece of wood.

"Hmm? Strange. Some sort of security system? Can you turn the page young man?"

I did so, and found that the Hokage was now able to flip back and forth between the character sheet and the jutsu list, though not any farther.

"So you as the owner have to give permission it seems. An interesting concept."

Flipping back to the page detailing the jutsu and fighting styles to my name, the Hokage began to peruse my choices. Mom, who had been surprisingly quiet during this time, leaned in to take a look as well. They discovered that tapping the name of a technique would expand the topic and provide a description of the technique, and tapping the name a second time would collapse the description.

"I only see one technique here that could be considered an Inuzuka jutsu," Mom commented.

"Combining with myself did some sort of reset to everything. I ended up with ten points to spend and had the requirement that one of them had to be a clan jutsu. I figured I could relearn any techniques later if I needed to, but this was a chance to get access to jutsu that would take years to obtain otherwise."

"Yes, I can see that. Air's Embrace, Float, can I assume there is a third that follows the same path?"

"Upward. True flight. How could I resist?"

"Understandable, though the rest of your choices make me think you intend to take up the sword," Mom observed neutrally.

"I...yes. I'm not sure why, but I feel like something is calling me to wield the sword."

"Hmph. I see. You _will_ be learning the Tsuga and Gatsuga at some point down the road at the very least though."

"That's it?"

Mom snorted. "Kiba, every couple of generations there's a clan member who goes their own path instead of embracing the usual role our clan has as expert trackers and scouts. These people tend to either become the pride of the clan, or they fall and are doomed to obscurity. I trust you know which path I expect from you," she finished with a stern glare.

I stood a little straighter and resisted the urge to bare my throat. "Yes, ma'am!" I relaxed a bit before continuing. "Besides, I'll have to be at my best considering what my class is like, even with all the issues."

That got the Hokage's attention. "Oh, doesn't your class have the highest percentage of clan heirs? What sort of issues are there?"

"Well, most of them are just personal opinion from suddenly having an outside view or ideas on how to improve what's already there. The main issue though, is Naruto."

At that, the old man's face turned grave. "Elaborate."

"Well sir, he's tried to graduate twice now, and while he isn't the most diligent student, he would have passed by now if not for a single jutsu."

"The bunshin."

"The bunshin," I agreed. "Naruto has far to much chakra and not enough control, and the basic leaf balancing exercises we learn in class aren't enough. Maybe if he'd been taught tree walking or water walking, but as it is, trying to perform the bunshin is like trying to fill a teacup with a fire hose."

"And what do you suggest be done about it?" The old man was testing me, I could feel it.

"Well, either get someone to teach him some more advanced control exercises and hope that he gets a handle on his chakra in time for graduation, or give him a more chakra intensive technique that he can use in place of the Bunshin."

The Hokage considered for a moment. "Possible. I'd have to look into it. Any issues not related to Naruto? And why the sudden focus on him? If I am remembering correctly, you are casual friends at best."

I wince. This was going to be a hard sell. "Let me get the other issues out of the way first. The academy has been producing subpar genin for a while now. The jonin sensei have managed to pick up the slack, but most students that don't have a clan to rely on are screwed. Whoever is in charge of the curriculum needs to be stabbed. It's closer to a civilian school with a few ninja focused subjects than a school meant to train shinobi. I know the academy I attend isn't the only one, but it is the one that most clans send their children to, and therefore it has a reputation for being the best. At some point, I'm guessing that some civilians started cashing in on that reputation and began working on lowering the standards."

"What! I knew standards had been lowered temporarily after the Kyuubi attack to replenish our numbers, but have standards really fallen so low?"

"There's a flower arrangement class for the girls. Now, while I'm sure that it has it's uses for infiltration or seduction missions, I fail to see how it will help keep a bunch of twelve year old genin from getting killed," I stated flatly.

"Fair enough. Is that all, or can we move to the other topic?"

We can move on. Everything else is just improvements, and they wouldn't be able to be instituted until after the academy has been fixed up. As for my focus on Naruto...tell me, how private is this conversation?"

"Not as private as I'd like." The answer every ninja will give, regardless of where they are.

"Private enough to discuss classified information?"

"Depends on the topic."

"Naruto Uzumaki." The glint evolved into a full out glare. A motion sent until now hidden ANBU blurring into motion, placing what I could only assume were privacy seals on the walls, ceiling, floor, window, and door.

"Explain. Now." His tone brooked no disobedience.

"I mentioned I merged with an alternate version of myself, which is what caused this whole mess. What I didn't mention is anything about his life. He was a bit older than I am currently, about to start college in fact. More importantly though, is the fact that in his world there was a franchise called 'Naruto' all about a lovable blonde and his dream to become Hokage."

"Wait, an entire franchise?" Mom interrupted incredulously.

"Yup," I confirmed, "a manga series, a TV show, a couple movies, even a trading card game. Maybe more, he—I—We… Damn, tenses are going to be a pain. Glad I don't plan on explaining this too many times. Anyway, Other-Me wasn't a huge fan, but he knew enough to know the basic outline of the plot—the main events, not so much the little details, and next to nothing on how it all ends, only that it ends relatively well. I know a lot about Naruto's past, stuff I probably shouldn't know if this world is close to the show, and from what my memories show, it is."

"What sort of information?" The kind grandfatherly figure from before was gone now, that replaced by the Sandaime, the man that had fought in multiple Shinobi Wars and earned the title 'Kami no Shinobi'.

"His Burden. His Heritage. That he will become Hokage, but not until several others take the position before him. Who one version of him marries… like I said, a lot. Too much. I even know how you might die, though obviously I'm going to try and invalidate that."

"I see," he said pensively. "Tsume, please leave us. Don't worry," he reassured her, "you'll get your son back in one piece, but some of this is above your clearance."

"I… understand. I'll wait in the hall." With that, she stepped out.

"His parents?" The question was snapped at me almost before the door had closed behind Mom, catching me off guard, but I recovered quickly.

"Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze."

"His burden?"

"The Kyuubi no Kitsune. Though it should be Kyuubi no Yoko, kitsune are nature spirits."

"My death?" he asked, a bit hesitantly. It's one thing to know that you're unlikely to retire from being a ninja, it's something completely different to know how it will happen.

"Orochimaru. He's created a little hidden village of his own, Otogakure. He invades during the Chunin Exams, aided by Suna."

"Suna? But—"

"He kills and replaces the Kazekage. Not to mention the budget cuts Suna's Daimyo has been instituting. Suna may be our ally, but they're being sucked dry of missions and resources. He ends up isolating you from the rest of the invasion with a barrier and resurrecting the Shodai and Nidaime. You perform the Shiki Fuin and seal his arms away, but die in the process."

"Yes, I am familiar with the consequences of that technique," he said grimly. "Alright, either you're telling the truth or you've managed to completely bypass security protocols meant to stump a Kage level shinobi. Is there anything else?"

"Tons, especially for the next year or so. After the first season or two Other-Me kinda lost focus and only paid attention to major events. But the more that changes, the less likely that things will be accurate. I do know that without intervention Naruto will fail again and be tricked by Mizuki, an academy teacher, into stealing the Scroll of Seals. He ends up learning the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu on his own in a few hours and beats Mizuki, but he does learn of his burden in the process. I'd suggest a proper debriefing later with someone trustworthy, might help me remember more details. At the moment though I do have a few suggestions, if you're willing to hear them."

"Well, I have nothing to lose by listening. Speak your piece, but don't expect anything to come from it."

"Fair enough. The first is to let academy students in their last year accept missions, D-ranks to be exact. They're mostly inside Konoha and are little more than glorified chores anyway. The students learn a little teamwork and the money can either be used to update the academy or a portion can be given to the students. The second are the teams. If I'm not mistaken, despite the fact graduation is still a month away, the Genin teams are more or less already decided, yes?"

"More or less. I know my son wants to try to create the second generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho Team, and Kurenai has requested Hinata Hyuuga in particular. Of course, there is also the tradition of the Top Rookie, the Top Kunoichi, and the Deadlast forming a team."

"Thought so. I'd ask that most of that change. Give Kurenai Hinata, Ino, and Sakura. Ino and Sakura are still obsessed with Sasuke, and Hinata has major confidence issues. Hopefully seeing what a true Kunoichi looks like will curb any fangirl behavior, and maybe their brashness will rub off on Hinata a little."

"That might work, though you are breaking up Asuma's team. And what would their specialization be?"

"The Ino-Shika-Cho Team was a great team. They worked together very well and had tactics that enemies hadn't seen before. Now, those tactics are well known, a downside to fame in the ninja world. A second generation team would have to start from scratch or have flawless teamwork off the bat to compensate. I can't see either Ino or Choji managing to make new tactics, and Shikamaru, well, he'd probably find it 'Troublesome' without the proper motivation, something he's sorely lacking.

The all Kunoichi team would have a Support or Capture specialization. Sakura can easily go down the Genjutsu or Medic route, though with her book smarts and rigid mindset, I'm leaning toward medic. Hinata can become a great Taijutsu specialist with a little effort, and she's apparently good at making herbal remedies. Ino has her clan's techniques, not to mention her interest in flowers could be pointed toward poisons. All of them could pick up at least the basics of genjutsu, especially with Kurenai as their sensei."

"And how would you, Naruto, and the other clan heirs fit into teams?"

"Choji and Shikamaru work well together, but I think including Shino will give Shika someone to test wits with. They could easily be mistakenly seen as another Capture/Containment Team, but in reality, I'm thinking an Assault or Siege Team. Give Choji a few Doton techniques and he'll shake mountains. With Shika's smarts he'll be able to figure out the weak points of practically any structure. And Shino's bugs can stealthily sabotage most man-made structures. All combined, they could probably knock over an entire town if they had to, but I was thinking more along the lines of taking out bridges to destroy enemy supply lines or deconstruction missions."

"Who are you thinking of for their Sensei?" the Sandaime asked, interested despite himself.

"Probably your son. His experience with the Twelve Guardian Ninja will have exposed him to the common defenses towns and nobility use. With that kind of information Shika can find a dozen ways to bypass even the most heavily guarded of them."

"That leaves you, Naruto, and Sasuke Uchiha," the old man noted. "Knowing your ability, I can't help but wonder about the power of such a combo."

"Our team would be the most simple. Heavy Assault. With Naruto's immense reserves, Sasuke eventually gaining the Sharingan, and me filling in any cracks, we'll be able to throw lots of power around with little effort. As for our Sensei, Kakashi Hatake. Both because of who his own sensei was and because he is most familiar with how to properly use a Sharingan. Not to mention he holds the Dog summons, so I'm sure I'll be able to get along with him. I'd also suggest having the teams that pass do a little group training every so often to inspire some competition not only among the genin, but the sensei as well."

It was quiet for a moment while the Hokage sat and digested all of the information and suggestions I had given him.

"Alright. I will be verifying everything you've told me, but your suggestions at least have merit. Between you and me, none of the Jonin had any reason better than 'Because I want them' to justify their team. And allowing students to do D-ranks would free up more of our forces for more vital missions. I probably won't be able implement such a program for your class, but the next graduating class can test the concept."

"Thank you for your consideration, Hokage-sama," I said with a slight bow. I might not be the most courteous, but Mom had pounded in respect for my superiors at least.

"Not at all. It's good to see the youth stepping forward to protect this village. You could have easily kept quiet about all of this and left everyone in the dark."

"It didn't even occur to me, to be honest. There may be a bit more to me than there was before, but I'm still an Inuzuka, and we value loyalty before all else. You literally walked in the door in front of me. How could I stay quiet about this sort of thing when doing so could mean the death of thousands?"

"It fills this old man with joy to see such young believers in the Will of Fire," the kindly old grandfather had returned, but I could still make out a hint of the hidden steal I had just witnessed, ready to leap into action at any moment to defend that Will of Fire. "Now let's get your mother, she's probably driving herself crazy with carefully disguised worry."

"Yes sir."

Opening the door revealed Mom pacing like a caged animal. A number of emotions flashed across her face, too fast to identify.

"Kiba! I take it your talk with the Hokage was fruitful?"

"Very." I leant over and gave her a quick one-armed hug. "Let's head home."

Checking out of the hospital was… different. For one, all of the staff was amazed I hadn't leapt out the window the first chance I got. Apparently that was a frequent problem around these parts.

As we walked back to the clan compound, I noticed Mom kept stealing worried glances at me when she thought I wasn't looking.

"I'm still me Mom, just with a few extras," I said quietly.

"I know! I know. It's just… I guess I'm not used to worrying like this. I know being a shinobi is dangerous, I just didn't think I'd be called and told one of my kids was in the hospital for a few more years. But..." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You're here, you're safe. That's what matters."

* * *

Arriving at home, I made a beeline for the remains of my room. If anything, Hana was understating the damage. The outer wall was completely gone, nothing but a gaping hole. Scorch marks could be seen here and there along the floor and walls, and I could see a large dent in the wall where the bed had been thrown from the force of the explosion. I began searching for anything salvageable. After a half melted squeaky toy, the remains of Akamaru's bed, and a shattered kunai that had luckily not hit me, I hit jackpot. My academy texts, which I had shoved under my bed, had been shielded from the blast. For the most part. Grabbing the slightly charred scrolls, I checked the closet before grimacing. The door had been open, and the clothes inside were little more than rags. ' _It's a good thing Mom and Hana aren't as obsessed with shopping as most girls. Otherwise I might not survive a shopping trip for an entirely new wardrobe'_ Exiting the room, I began my search for something to wear in the meantime. The attic, if I remembered correctly, was where we stored most of the non-valuable and non-sentimental items.

Pulling down the foldable ladder, I turned on the light with the yank of a string. _At least this should be a one time thing, All this dust is wreaking havoc on my nose. Enhanced senses are useful, but can be a pain sometimes.'_ After finding what seemed to be baby pictures of every Inuzuka all the way back to the founding of Konoha, half a dozen dinged up Hitai-ite, and what I was sure was Mom's wedding dress, I hit jackpot. Tucked away in a corner was a small chest of clothes that smelled heavily of dogs. Sitting on top were a pair of black leather boots that looked like they might fit me. Stuffed inside one boot were a pair of fingerless gloves, and in the trunk itself were some clothes that looked promising. After sorting out everything that was eaten by moths, I managed to find a few shirts that actually fit me and weren't about to fall apart in my hands, as well as a couple pairs of standard issues cargo pants. I still needed a few items like underwear and socks, but luckily I had a load of laundry in the wash when this all happened. Between that and what I had found up here, I'd have enough clothing to last me a few days, though I'd look like I had raided a military surplus store. Not that such a look was uncommon, I _was_ planning on joining the military after all.

* * *

Mom greeted me as I walked into the kitchen.

"Where have you been?"

It seemed like she was back to normal. "Digging around the attic for some clothes to wear until we can go shopping. Practically everything in my room is a write off."

"Great. Go get some steak, will ya, I'm making Yakitori for dinner tonight and we're out." Yakitori was one of Mom's comfort foods. Maybe she wasn't handling this as well as I thought.

"Yeah, no problem. Do you have some money I can use?"

"Check the table next to the door."

Grabbing the cash, I headed out. As I walked streets I had technically never walked, yet remembered vividly, I was faced with a dilemma. ' _I've started to build myself as a swordsman, but I don't have access to a sword. Bit of an oversight there, but is that what I should focus on?'_ Other-Me tended to go for what he termed a battle mage in most fantasy games, sword in one hand and spell in the other. He was also partial to using the bow as a long range option, but I probably wouldn't go that route. I paused outside a weapons shop, a common sight in a military village—and despite Konoha's friendly image, it was still a military dictatorship.

' _Well, once I get some cash I can start with the "battle" part of my battle mage.'_

I continued on. I only had enough for what I needed to get, the weapon shop would have to wait until I had a little more in way of cash. I managed to make to the store as the sky began to turn orange and grabbed a package of steak. Tucking it under my arm I made my way back home.

"Oof! What the hell!"

Rubbing my head, I looked up to see who I had run into. "Oh, what are you doing Naruto?"

"Can't talk, gotta run!" With that he continued to dash farther down the street, skidding to a stop before turning right into a side alley. Seconds later, two Chunin landed in front of me. It was the two who normally guarded the main gate, Kotetsu and Izumo. Kotetsu was covered in neon pink paint while Izumo was sporting a lime green paint job.

"Did you see where that brat went!"

"Yeah, he knocked me over and kept going! He turned left at the intersection up there."

"Thanks kid. Don't worry, we'll get him."

Honestly, if an academy student can prank you, regardless of how talented he might be, you should probably up your training. I might as well give them a hand with their endurance and send them on a wild goose chase.

"Does this count as my good deed of the day, or my bad deed of the day? Meh, I'll just call it karmically neutral." Distraction dealt with, I made my way home. Dinner awaited.

* * *

 **Posted 10/25/2018**

 **Reboot of chapter one complete. Even though I cut out a lot of the Gamer side of things, as you may have noticed, things haven't changed much. To make up for the lost content, I went through and explained things a bit more. I think it makes the story run smoother, but what do you guys think?**

 **Next chapter will differ quite a bit from the original seeing as Instant Dungeons are no longer a thing.**

 **Please leave a review. Tell me what you liked and what you didn't like, what made you laugh and what made you confused.**

 **~Noxlux013**


	2. Chapter 2

**As a side note, I found out that the usual 100 Ryo to $1 USD that most stories use is actually incorrect. In reality, it is 10 ryo to $1 USD. Any future chapters that mention money will reflect this.**

* * *

It turned out that the accident happened on a Monday and I had been out of it until waking up Friday. Who knew dimensional travel could be so dangerous? While I was rather confident I could graduate from the academy with no issue, I still needed to relearn the Academy three; kawarimi, bunshin, and henge. Good thing I was able to recover my academy texts, even if they were a bit charred.

At the moment I was looking for a nice open area so I could practice. I was alone, my miraculous recovery hadn't extended to Akamaru, unfortunately, and his wounds were expected to take another week or two to heal. My wandering eventually brought me to the gate of a basic training ground. It was bordered by a living fence of trees, like most of the smaller training areas in Konoha, with a line of bushes along the side adjacent to the street to ward off casual observers. Three weathered posts sat in a line on the far end of the field, nearly fifty yards from the entrance.

"Well, let's get started."

Despite coming out here to relearn the basic three, I wanted to check something I had noticed on the way home from the library. I began to dash around the field, both to warm up and to see just how fast I'd become, how well I could maneuver. To Run Free increased my movement speed for every level. This wasn't some spell or passive buff, but a subconscious technique. How I breathed, how my feet hit the ground and pushed off, how I held myself, all of these combined to achieve an end result. And that end result allowed me to easily surpass my previous limits. Even juking back and forth, veering around trees, my newfound speed held up. At least until a squirrel beaned me in the nose with an acorn hard enough to draw blood.

"Ack! What the hell! You overgrown rat, I'll use your tail as a toilet brush!"

All I got in reply was some rude chittering and the glimpse of a furry backside as it fled further into the forest.

Now, a squirrel attack isn't as embarrassing as it sounds, though I still wouldn't be mentioning this to anyone. The squirrels of Konohagakure had been around since the village had been founded. They had thrived and were now the size of large rabbits, and had a temper to match their abnormal size. Groups of squirrels ganging up on a particularly vicious cat or annoying dog weren't uncommon, though they still avoided Tora. The uninformed would joke, that they were Konoha's environmental defenses. This was false. They were only _part_ of the defenses.

It has long been accepted that the term "Hidden Village" is a bit of a misnomer. Soon after their formation, the various leaders realized that stealth isn't good for advertising. After all, how can you accept missions and clients if no one knows about you? At the same time, they didn't want to be vulnerable to hostile forces, that was the original reason the villages were formed in the first place. Eventually, a compromise was reached. While the locations of each village would be generally known, their exact defenses would remain a highly guarded secret. Oh, there are the obvious traps and seals, not to mention the enormous wall most villages have built, but each village managed to change their static defenses enough that no spy would be able to map everything out before the information became outdated.

Then there were the more unique environment based defenses, which were well known, but still a danger. Suna is in the middle of the desert, forcing would-be invaders to trek through the unforgiving landscape for days if not weeks. Kumo is located atop a mountain, while Iwa is built into one. Mizu makes use of the prevalent mists and uncharted, submerged rock formations in addition to powerful, ever-changing currents.

And Konoha is in a forest. Nearly a hundred years ago, when Hashirama decided to found Konoha, there was no great forest in the Land of Fire. There were the Great Plains of Fire, so named for the fact that the grass seemed to catch on fire in the light of Summer sunsets. You can, in fact, still see this phenomena if you travel west toward the border shared with the Land of Wind, though it isn't as grand a sight as in days of old. This is because, in a single, mind boggling display of power, Hashirama Senju brought a forest into existence in the span of a single night. A forest that now covers most of the central region of the Land of Fire. A forest with paths that seem to move. A forest with trees that seem to close in and block the way of the unwelcome. A forest where you could hear titanic beasts moving through the underbrush, yet never spot anything more than enormous footprints, unrecognizable as any known creature. And yes, a forest full of squirrels that have an inexplicable urge to go for the nuts.

Most ridicule vanished after the first invading force was swallowed whole by the forest.

Done reminiscing about history lessons, I stopped running around like a headless chicken. All I had to show for the last half of exertion was a pleasant, nearly unnoticeable burning sensation in my legs and the fact that I was breathing a bit heavier than usual. I'd never been a stamina monster like Naruto, but I am still one of the best of the class in terms of physical ability, second only to Sasuke. Now though? Now I plan to give him a run for his money.

Moving on, I decided to work through the Way of Metal jutsu that I had obtained. As much as I would like to give Float a spin, it was too eye catching, too hard to cover up. Just because I had told my Mother and the Hokage, a close family member and the military leader of the village respectively, didn't mean I was going to be shouting my secrets from the rooftops. The only others I would reveal this to would be Hana, who, again, is my _sister_ , my teammates after I trusted them enough, and certain enemies, who would be in no position to share my secrets when I was finished with them.

Pulling a kunai from my thigh holster, I wiggled it back in forth in my hand to catch the light and check for any visible cracks. Satisfied with my inspection, I began to shape my chakra for the first basic jutsu, Mold Metal. It went off without a hitch, and I slowly shaped the kunai to my needs, flattening and lengthening it to be more of a knife than a gardening tool reappropriated as a throwing weapon. Once I was satisfied with the result, I did the same for three others. Once I was finished with the smaller detains - shaping the handle so it was less likely to slip, reducing the ring on the end to a simple pommel, and making sure each knife still held an edge - I released the jutsu, pressing a fingertip against one of the modified kunai to double check.

Slipping three of the blades back into the holster for now, I focused on the one I had modified first. Shaping my chakra differently this time, I poured it into the kunai. This was basically what many higher rank ninja did, reinforcing their weapons with chakra, with a few differences. While they had to constantly use chakra to have their weapon constantly enhanced, my technique only lasted a certain number of hits, but also only required a single application of chakra. Succeeding a second time, I began hacking away at one of the training posts, marveling at how much deeper my strikes bit into the into the wood, contrasted more when the jutsu ran its course after a few seconds and I could compare earlier, enhanced cuts with the more recent, unenhanced ones.

Finally, possibly the most dangerous of the basic jutsu, Metal Within. Shaping the chakra felt incredibly similar to Mold Metal, simply targeting my own flesh instead of the metal of a kunai. Taking the modified kunai, I gently placed it against my forearm, grimacing at the cold metal as it entered my flesh like pushing through mud. Quickly, so as to get it over with as soon as possible, I repeated the process with my other forearm and both of my legs. Now if I was ever captured I would at least have access to a weapon. Releasing the technique, I prodded my arm where the kunai entered. Nothing. It was as if they had vanished. And it would stay that way until I performed the technique again to retrieve them.

Basic jutsu dealt with, I debated whether to move on to my only offensive median jutsu, or to work on the Basic Three like I had planned.

' _Ah well, in for a penny, in for a pound.'_

It would push me, I wasn't even sure I could pull it off, but there was no backing down now. I gathered chakra in my hands, squared up to the training post, and swung, a textbook punch.

BAM!

I was knocked back from the point of impact, skidding to a stop flat on my back. The metal that I had just embedded in my body was humming and vibrating uncomfortably, signaling that metal objects were _not_ my friend at the moment.

"Okay, lesson learned. No median jutsu until I've trained up some more," I said with a groan.

Getting up and brushing myself off, I examined the result of my punch. It was impressive, for someone not even out of the academy. The crater was obvious, roughly the size of a large orange, but more interesting was the fact that the post was leaning backwards a bit. These training posts were usually embedded at their half point to provide stability for taijutsu practitioners. Granted, these things were more to practice form than to unleash all your strength on, otherwise Gai and Lee would be breaking these things all the time.

I pulled the book from my other leg holster in an attempt to find out what just happened. After paging through it, I found an answer. Apparently I had just experienced my first backfire that had been mentioned. If I had poured more chakra in I could have prevented it. Instead, I had to deal with penalties to wielding or blocking metal weapons for a while. Not something I wanted to experience again, but luckily I was finished testing the new jutsu.

Stowing the book, I took a deep breath and decided to get to the reason I walked out here in the first place. I slowly worked my way through the hand seals for the bunshin. The technique is more or less a hologram, only with chakra instead of light. Grass isn't crushed under its foot, the air isn't disturbed by its passing, and it makes no noise whatsoever. Basically, any observant enemy of equal or greater skill to the caster that's paying attention will be able to tell what's going on, to say nothing of sensors or the dozens of dojutsu out there.

It took a few tries to make the copies clear and not have any errors like indistinct features or fuzzy edges, but I managed to remaster the technique fairly quickly. Satisfied with relearning the first technique, I started going through the motions for the henge before stopping.

"Damn it. I don't have a mirror to see if I'm doing it right. There's not even a pond nearby. And I don't have someone else to point out any mistakes I make"

"KA-BOOOSH"

As if summoned by divine providence, a large pink mushroom cloud rose over a building a few blocks away from the training field. Nodding to myself, I slowly made my way over to the hedge-flanked entrance.

I counted down under my breath, "Three, two, one...yoink!"

With perfect timing, I reached out into the street and grabbed a passing collar - and its wearer.

"Hey Naruto, you wouldn't have anything to do with the paint bomb that just went off, would you?"

"Ehehe…" He scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly. "Who, me? No, of course-"

"He went this way! Hurry!, Don't let him get away!"

A small crowd of pink ninjas dashed down the street.

"Uh huh. Well, If you aren't doing anything, you can help me practice."

With Naruto's help, I was able to pull off the Henge pretty well. The technique required you to hold the image of what you were transforming into firmly in your mind. Once the transformation occured, it took a small stream of chakra to maintain, and there was a sort of mental 'weight' as well. And of course, there was a level of mental strength required to correctly imitate the properties of whatever you were copying. Sure, you could turn into a sword, but unless you maintain focus on how hard steel is and how sharp a sword is, you're more likely to end up with a sword that acts like it's made from balsa wood that snaps when it hits something, which would in turn break the technique.

Finally, the kawarimi no jutsu. It's basically sleight-of-hand where the user has enhanced their speed, reflexes, and perception with chakra to pull off the optical illusion of being hit. It most definitely is _not_ associated with any sort of space-time techniques like I had hoped. Still a decent little ability, for genin at least. I had Naruto toss a few rocks at me to practice. I, of course, offered to reciprocate, being the kind soul that I was. It had absolutely nothing to do with him getting me with a particularly hard throw right in the knee. Strangely enough, he nervously declined my generous offer.

Academy jutsu relearned and my potential graduation no longer in danger, I wondered what to do next.

' _Oh, that could work.'_

"...Hey, Naruto. It's getting close to noon. You wanna head to my place and grab some lunch?"

* * *

It took a while to convince Naruto I was serious, but thirty minutes later we were seated at the kitchen table, waiting for mom to put the finishing touches on lunch.

"Hey Naruto, graduation's only a month away. Are you ready?"

"Of course! Graduating is just the first step on the road to becoming Hokage! I just, you know…"

"Need to work on your bunshin?" I finished.

"Yeah, that."

Of course, _I_ knew what the issue was, and _I_ knew everything would sort itself out if it nothing changed, but...Even though he tried to hide it, I could tell how miserable Naruto was over his failure to perform one of the easiest jutsu in existence.

"How about we go to the backyard and I'll help you practice after we finish eating?"

"Really? You'd do that for me?" The hope in his eyes was almost painful to see.

"Sure, you helped me, it's only fair I return the favor. That's what friends do, right?" He visibly flinched in surprise before giving me a smile.

"Y-yeah, I guess it is."

"Alright, lunch is ready!" Mom swept in, her arms full of plates laden with food. I'd say _too much_ food, but I knew what Naruto's appetite was like, not to mention my own. It was a simple meal, meat skewers and rice with chilled tea to drink, but it was filling. Naruto and I bowed our heads with a quick "Itadakimasu!" before we dug in.

* * *

"Alright, let's see it then. Try doing a bunshin and I'll keep an eye out for any mistakes."

"Right, here goes! Bunshin no Jutsu!"

An absolutely enormous plume of smoke exploded into existence before quickly fading away to reveal a single clone that looked like it was on death's door. The thing was pale, almost white, and there was next to no detail anywhere; no buttons or zippers on the jacket and only the faintest trace of Naruto's famous whisker marks. To top it off, the entire thing shimmered like a mirage in the desert heat. I couldn't help but whistle in disbelief. Not even my _first_ attempt at the bunshin had been that bad.

"Okay then, lots of stuff to work on, no problem. First, let's try changing up how many clones you're making. How many were you aiming for?"

"I was trying to make three, since that's what you need for the graduation test, but I can't get more than a single clone, and they always turn out," he gestured towards where the clone had been, "like that."

"How much chakra are you using?"

"Chakra?" Oh yeah, Naruto was pretty ignorant on some of the basics. To be fair, I was similar. Who care what it's called as long as I know what it can do? Of course, I'd discovered that mindset lead to issues down the road.

"The energy used in jutsu. It's a combination of the energy made in your body and the energy that comes from your mind, your life experiences. That's why training your mind is just as important as training your body."

"Oh. Um, I don't know, a decent amount? I tried using more a few times, but I just ended up with more smoke."

"Uh huh. Try using as little chakra as possible. This _is_ a jutsu for academy students, we aren't expected to have as much chakra as a jonin."

A few attempts resulted in slightly less fuzzy apparitions. Not much, but enough to tell that progress was being made.

"Good, good. It looks better already. The only other suggestion I have is to make more than three clones, but I don't know if they'll count off for that. We can ask Iruka-sensei later, but for now, we need to work on your control."

"My control?" Naruto asked with a scrunched up face.

"Yeah," I nodded sagely. "You were using as little chakra as you could those last few tries, right? Well, you need to use an even smaller amount, but you can't hold onto such a tiny fraction of your chakra. Luckily, I have a solution."

"Really? What is it?"

"We…" _pause for dramatic effect,_ "are going to climb trees!"

' _Huh, so that's what a face fault looks like in person. Painful.'_

"How is that supposed to help?! I can already climb trees!"

"It'll help, because we won't be using our hands." Seeing Naruto was still confused, I continued with the explanation I had whipped up. "See, while I was in the hospital, I heard the nurses talking about another patient, a genin. He'd messed his arm up while practicing some chakra exercise called tree climbing. Apparently, if you keep a constant flow of chakra going from the bottom of your feet, you can stick to stuff, not just trees. The genin was practicing and lost focus, causing him to fall and land on his arm wrong."

"So," I gestured to the trees currently surrounding us, "We're going to give it a try!"

"Cool! But, how will this help with my control?"

"It's 'cause you're constantly messing with your chakra, see? You have to keep a constant flow, then stop everytime you pick your foot up, then re-apply the same amount of chakra when you put your foot back down. Too much and you'll fall off like that genin, too much and, well, I'm not sure, but the nurse mentioned something about splinters? Anyways, you're," I gestured with my hand, as if trying to pluck the right words out of thin air, "getting _familiar_ with your chakra this way, see? How it flows, what it does when you aren't using it for jutsu and stuff. Now, enough talk, let's get climbing!"

Pulling out a kunai to mark my progress, I approached the nearest trunk. Naruto was already racing up his chosen tree, getting a few feet up the trunk from momentum alone, but I wanted to try a different approach. Placing on foot on the rough bark, I slowly sent out a tendril of chakra. Once I felt I had the right amount of flow, I lifted my other foot to do the same. And almost broke my ankle.

' _Argh, right. Gotta reinforce pretty much my entire leg. And possibly my spine, too. The human body isn't meant to stand horizontal to the earth with no support like this. Probably the reason everyone goes with the running start, you end up reinforcing yourself subconsciously.'_

Pulling myself to my feet, I tried again, this time making sure to pay attention to my ankle, knee, and hip, too. Swinging my other leg up and doing the same, I had done it. I was standing on a tree trunk. About two feet off the ground. And I was slowly sliding back down. Nearby, Naruto was still going strong, Kunai marks scattered along the first seven or eight feet of the tree. Okay, so maybe there was a reason for the running start.

Backing up a bit to get some room, I dashed toward the tree. Closer, closer, _now_! With a leap I began moving up instead of forward, frantically channeling chakra and maintain my momentum at the same time. Two or three meters up I messed up and pushed off, scoring the tree and flipping in mid air to land on my feet. Shaking my head, I rushed forward again.

* * *

Neither of us managed to get to the top of the tree that day, not even close, but I wasn't too concerned. We were training with far less urgency than in the anime during the Wave mission, so it was okay to not train far into the night and to the point of exhaustion.

After Naruto left, declining an offer to stay for dinner, it was just me and mom. Hana-nee was working late at the veterinary clinic again.

"So," mom said with a raised eyebrow, "that was Naruto Uzumaki."

"Yep. He seems to calm down quite a bit when people pay attention to him. It says something that today is the most focused I've ever seen him, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does," she agreed. "Is this going to happen frequently?"

"Training with him? Probably. He could use the help, and odds are we'll be teammates. Besides, he could use a friend. Why, worried?" I ask.

Mom snorted. "My only worry's that you two will eat us out of house and home." Changing the subject she asked, "Are you going to tell your sister?"

"About the alternate self thing? Yeah, she deserves to know why her little brother is acting twice his age. The new jutsu and knowledge of a possible future? No, probably not. I told you because there's no way I would've been able to hide it from you, and I'm likely not going to tell you everything I know anyways, OpSec you know? Only the Hokage will know that much, and that's because, well, he's the Hokage. It's his job to know everything. If my sudden attitude change attracts too much attention I'll let slip that I remember a past life as a middle class civilian and it mellowed me out a bit, should satisfy most."

And those that wouldn't be satisfied with such a response would have eventually been gunning for me anyways.

"I _might_ tell my team down the line, but not until we actually trust each other. The Hokage might hint at it to the Jonin Sensei though. I hope he doesn't, the look on their face will be hilarious." Or rather, the look in Kakashi's eye will be hilarious. That man's surprisingly emotive for someone that covers up five-sixths of his face.

The rest of dinner passed in silence, though not an uncomfortable one. I helped mom clear the table and dried while she washed. Then, I bid her goodnight and went to sleep in the guest room that I would be using until my own room was repaired. Climbing into bed and pulling the blanket up to my chin, I closed my eyes and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

And just as quickly woke back up. I wasn't in the guestroom anymore.

"I'm starting to get tired of not waking up where I fall asleep," I muttered.

It was a plain room. Unpainted concrete walls, a single reinforced door, no window. Two chairs on opposite sides of a table bolted to the floor were the only pieces of furniture. All in all, it looked like a stereotypical interrogation room, minus the one way glass window. There were probably seals on one of the walls that did something similar without the giant weak spot a pane of glass would create.

The door opened, drawing my attention. The Hokage walked in, followed by another ninja I hadn't technically seen before, but still knew about. Ibiki Morino.

"Hokage-sama, I take it I'm here for debriefing?"

"That's right Kiba-kun. Morino-san here will be recording our talk and will cross examine you to ensure we get as many details as possible."

"Sounds good. Ah, before we start, Hokage-sama, how do you think you will die?"

Ibiki stiffened at such a question, while the Hokage stared at me for a while before nodding almost imperceptibly.

"Oh, probably something silly like a snake bite," he said casually.

Well, either this was actually the Hokage, or some group had managed to penetrate the Hokage's personal security measures, kidnapped me, and the two in front of me were in disguise. And speaking of such groups...

"Better than dying because you were careless and tripped on a root," I replied, with what I thought was a passable attempt at being casual myself. Something told me I needed practice. The Hokage's face could have been carved from bedrock.

"True, though a well tended garden should not have any exposed roots."

"Of course not, such roots could damage the tree and would be removed or covered up. However, improper root care will lead to rot. Left alone, and the tree's leaves will yellow and its growth become stunted."

"Oh, and what can be done to save the tree?"

"If the rot is too deep, nothing. The tree will die and enrich the soil for those that come after it. If caught early enough though...you excise it. Remove the rot at its source."

The Hokage looked thoughtful.

"I see. And how would one go about preventing any further instances of rot?"

I folded my arms, choosing my words carefully.

"Though the roots grow in the dark, never to see the sun, they are still an important part of the tree. Without them, the tree would soon fall. Remove the bad growth and nurture the healthy roots that remain. This way the tree will recover its strength and continue to grow."

"Hmm. Very well. Thank you for your gardening advice, it may prove useful. If you'll excuse me, Morino-san will handle things from here."

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Oh! One last piece of advice before you go."

"Oh?" the Hokage paused, his hand on the door knob.

"All too often a gardener will remove the source of rot, only for it to pop up again almost immediately. Great care must be taken to completely purge the tree."

The Hokage's eyes gleamed. "Do not worry young man, I have quite a bit of gardening experience."

"Of course, sir. It's just…"

The old man's gaze softened. "I understand. I leave you in Morino-san's capable hands." With that, he left.

Ibiki raised an eyebrow. He might not know what was going on, but he recognized a coded conversation when he heard one. "Well then, with that out of the way, let's get started. From the beginning, please."

"Very well. It all starts with Naruto, _somehow_ , managing to paint the entire Hokage Monument unnoticed…"

I went from there, detailing the failed graduation, the fallout afterwards, and team seven's first C-Rank mission. At that point Ibiki began grilling me on descriptions of various persons of interest, their preferred weapons and jutsu, their motivations, and so forth, starting rudimentary profiles for previously unknowns and adding to those that Konoha already knew about. He went on to important events, who was involved, directly and indirectly, and when they happened, not just what order but how much time passed from one event to the next.

The man was a genius of interrogation. I knew from second hand accounts that he could be pants-shitting terrifying, and that he was a master of torture both physical and mental, but he was able to guide the questioning so well that I was remembering minor details about stuff I had seen two or three years ago.

Finally, he asked for my opinion, how I felt about different people I had described, how I felt about the actions of this or that person. I wasn't entirely sure why, maybe to see where my personal opinions had colored things? I answered as best I could, and before I knew it, the interrogation was wrapping up.

"Alright, that's all for now. We'll be in touch. You're free to leave," Ibiki said, motioning toward the door.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. They had spirited me away in the middle of the night, presumably out of security concerns, and now they were going to just have me walk out? I gave a mental shrug before walking over and putting my hand on the doorknob. I gave it a twist and a pull and-

* * *

I woke up. For real this time. Hopefully. And in my own, temporary, bed.

"Was...was that all in my head?" I looked around. The window was untouched, the door was still closed, the battered sword at the foot of my bed was-wait. I reached down and grabbed the scabbard, partially drawing the blade. It was a simple weapon; straight, single edged, and judging by the black scabbard, roughly the length of my forearm. A chokuto, if I remembered correctly. A shinobi's sword of choice. Attached to the sheath by a bit of twine was a piece of folded paper. Removing it, I read the note.

 _For Services Rendered._

It was unsigned. Putting the note down for a moment, I fully drew the blade to examine it more closely. It was well maintained and cared for, but it definitely wasn't a new sword. The dings and scratches told of a long history in combat. Turning it over in my hand, I noticed there was a solitary marking at the base of the blade, just above the tsuba, the hilt, in the shape of Konoha's iconic leaf. Looking it over in hopes of finding who the previous owner was, the only clue I found was a small metal ornament, a menuki, in the shape of a monkey that had been woven into the tsuka, the hilt wrapping.

' _Huh. Looks like I know what I'll be working on today.'_

Getting up, I went about preparing for the day with a smile on my‒okay, so it was more of a grimace, and there was more than one agonized groan. I'm not a morning person. Not the best trait to have for a ninja, but hardly the worst. Still, I managed to put a clean change of clothes on and look semi-presentable at least. The only hiccup came when I had to decide how to carry my new sword.

On the hip would be traditional, if it was a katana. A chokuto was short enough that it would just look silly. Besides, I never really liked the whole draw-strike-resheathe of iaido. As for horizontally at the small of my back, I faced the opposite issue; I couldn't help but worry it would stick out too much on either side and catch on things. Eventually I decided on carrying it vertically on my back at a slight angle so the pommel was poking up over my left shoulder since I was right handed. Using some rope to act as a temporary harness until I could buy something better, I practiced drawing and sheathing the sword a few times to get a feel for it. I was able to draw the sword in a single smooth motion, no overextending or weird angles since the blade was shorter than most. I'd probably have to change things if I got a different sword, but I didn't see that happening anytime soon.

Finally ready to take on the day, I headed downstairs for a quick meal of cereal, toast, and orange juice. Mom and Hana had already left for work, so I scarfed down breakfast and headed for the training field I'd used yesterday.

Once I made my way back to the still empty training ground, I drew the chokuto and fell into a kata that I and my body knew without ever learning. I slowly let my mind go blank and focused on the movements in a sort of moving meditation.

I again ran into the problem of not having anyway to practice deflecting projectiles, so I focused on the Armor of Blades technique, my chokuto flashing this way and that until it looked like I had a wall of shimmering steel protecting me from all sides. It wasn't perfect, there were gaps obvious to even me, but it was definitely better than I had been a week ago in both lives.

' _Now, do I go find Naruto, or do something else? It's still a bit early, and Hokage-sama did mention that I should try to shore up my weakness in Holistics. Learning from a book wouldn't be as effective as taking a class, but it should be fine for getting the skill to Novice._

Choice made, I headed to the Konoha Library. Fanfiction had made the place out to be some sort of repository of forbidden knowledge full of jutsu that was ripe for the taking, as long as one could get past the, usually negligent, guards. In reality, it was a public library. Sure, there were books on Chakra, but they were focused more on the theoretical side of things, not the spit-fireballs-from-your-mouth side of things. No jutsu. I wasn't looking for jutsu anyways, I had a reliable source for those already. Instead, I got a librarian's attention and asked for the location of a few beginner medical books. A quick computer check had her leading me to the right section of the building and pointing out the particular shelf. Grabbing a handful of books ranging from an Anatomy for Dummies book to what looked like a school textbook, I brought them over to a nearby table.

The next few hours were spent going back and forth from book to book, relearning half forgotten lessons from a first aid class I had taken in high school. By lunch time I had a reasonably good idea on how to stop someone from bleeding out, set a broken bone, restart someone's heart, and other battlefield basics. I wasn't anywhere near being considered even a field medic, I was still clueless about poisons, for example, but I felt I was as good as I would get without an actual teacher. Voluntary studying on a weekend complete, I left in search of lunch. Instead of heading to what would probably be an empty house, I checked my wallet and decided to eat out. And, both in hopes of finding Naruto and seeing for myself how good they are, I made my way to Ramen Ichiraku. Another thing the internet got wrong. It's not Ichiraku's Ramen, it's Ramen Ichiraku, meaning "Ramen is the Best Pleasure."

"Hey Naruto! I thought I'd find you here. One beef ramen please, Teuchi-san."

"Certainly Inuzuka-san. Coming right up."

"Hey, Kiba, what are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are, getting lunch. I've been training body and mind all morning and I'm starving."

"Huh? Body and mind?"

"Yup, Hokage-sama visited me while I was in the hospital and mentioned that a good foundation is important for aspiring genin. I did a little self evaluation and realized I was lacking in the medical department. All the power in the world won't help me if a teammate gets injured and I don't know what to do."

"Huh," Naruto had a contemplative look on his face. "I never thought of that."

"It's like I was saying yesterday. Chakra is mental _and_ physical. You gotta keep things balanced, otherwise you'll end up in situations where you're useless."

Teuchi chose that moment to interject, "Your ramen, Inuzuka-san."

"Thanks, and you can just call me Kiba, I've never really been one for formalities."

There was a lull in the conversation for a few minutes as we were both distracted by food.

"Anyways," I began, motioning for a second bowl, "You wanna work on tree climbing some more after this?"

"You want to keep training with me? We didn't really do much yesterday."

"Maybe not, but I did a bit of snooping, and it looks like it usually takes people a week or two to get tree walking down." I neglected to inform him that such a feat was accomplished in part because of the looming fear that an A rank missing nin might attack at any moment. I figured that the threat of failing to graduate would work as a motivator just as well.

Naruto looked appalled. "A whole week!"

"Well, yeah, but we can switch things around. Do a little tree climbing, a little sparring, maybe some exercises to improve speed or strength or flexibility, stuff like that. Running up a tree for several hours a day for a couple weeks doesn't sound like my idea of fun."

"Oh. That sounds a lot better than what I was thinking. Yeah, let's do that."

"Good. So we can meet up after school and head to my place. It's not guaranteed that training ground we were at yesterday will always be available, and I'd rather not get yelled at by some genin that thinks I'm trying to steal his 'ultra secret moves'" I said with air quotations. "Not to mention that this way we can raid the fridge."

The blonde nodded sagely. "A very good reason."

In sync we drained our bowls and set them aside.

"So, you good to go, or are you going to eat even more ramen?"

"Hey, don't diss the ramen, it's best!"

I had to admit, despite my previous experiences consisting solely of instant ramen, this place made _really_ good food.

"Yeah, it is."

* * *

 **Well, I didn't get this out on Halloween like I had planned, or even on Thanksgiving like I had wanted. Still, I hope you'll enjoy this early Christmas present and understand that this chapter was less of a reboot and more of a new chapter from scratch.**

 **On another topic, how does everyone feel about the chapter length? I know the first chapter was something like eight or nine thousand words, but that's a lot to put out in one chapter. The only ones I can think of that release chapters like that on a semi frequent schedule are authors like Saphroneth or Vimesenthusiast, and I am most definitely not at their level. Would you guys mind if I stuck to chapters around 5k in length?**

 **Please leave a review. Tell me what you liked and what you didn't like, what made you laugh and what made you confused.**

 **~Noxlux013**


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